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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Boycotting China -- good for your health, the environment, your freedom, and in the long term even your wallet

Because of China's human rights abuses, despotic rule, support of the spread of weapons of mass destruction and authoritarian regimes, and not least it's continued abuse of and attempted annexation of Taiwan, individuals around the world need to begin in earnest to boycott China's products.

Do not buy the products. As a consequence of people power, as more and more boycott, all the foreign companies, particularly Taiwanese and U.S. companies that China has lured into starting factories in China, will begin to stop overlooking China's crimes and begin to feel regret about their deep economic investment in China and correspondent compromise of principles of truth and freedom that go hand in hand with doing business there.

Citizens of the U.S.A. -- whose current president and congress have caused their country to be more indebted to China than ever -- have an even greater vested interest in buying products made in their own country or other countries instead of China and by so doing cause big businesses like Walmart to pull away from such excessive dependence on China.

For example, if you go to Walmart and wish to buy something simple like tweezers to pull a splinter out of your hand, all but one of the tweezers are made in China. The following is made in Pakistan and works fine, so for the China boycott, buy this particular one instead:

NOT made in China... TWEEZERS

MEAT TENDERIZER: In the kitchen cooking tools section, almost all of the Walmart MAINSTAYS (TM) brand are made in China. But there is one Mainstays Brand meat tenderizer MADE IN TAIWAN:

Most of Walmart's Saute Pans are made in China, but one of them, the 5 Quart Covered Saute Pan under the Paula Dean label is made in Thailand.So take the time, look around. You should be able to find at least one product in each category made in some place other than China.

The same goes for Home Depot or Lowes products. If you are getting paint brushes, a lot of them are made in China, but some are made in the U.S.A. U.S.A.-made paintbrushes are usually a little more expensive, but they are better quality and will last longer.

That is pretty much true for most products.

And remember, Made in China products carry the added danger of toxic chemicals -- remember the recalls of toys with lead, jewelry with Cadmium. With such a corrupt country, companies can bribe their way into cutting corners that disregard safety and endanger the consumer.

And of course stay completely away from food products -- remember the milk with melamine, the hairy crabs with toxins, etc., etc.

You as an individual consumer can do something, but it takes more effort and you can't be lazy about it. But this boycott is well worth the effort and a little extra expense!

P.S. Please do not be enamored with Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine with its appetite for sympathetic magic products like bear paw, rhinoceros horn, all parts of the tiger, has probably single-handedly caused the endangerment and even in many parts regional extinction of tigers, rhinoceroses, bears, clouded leopards, and many other animals. Yes, in Taiwan, the Eastern medicine value of a certain fungus has led to the discovery of high-molecular-weight polysaccharides with anti-tumor properties. We are not saying that all Chinese or Eastern medicine is bad, but if you do not know what products you are consuming or where they come from, if you do not know the procurement practices of the local Eastern medicine store, you may just be participating in the slow but steady extermination of endangered species.

3 comments:

Good article and good idea. My wife and I have been boycotting products made in China. It makes sense on so many different levels. In the U.S. people should understand that every dollar spent on a made in China product is taking money out of their own pocket.

Walmart India is a known corporate terrorist that has reached to the top by kicking, and hurting all the people connected to their warped system. However, we should realise the fact that the people behind this corporate beast have been manipulating humanity for a long time.